for visual lovers only

2016-12-042016-12-05

Museums | Amazing Nature in London

When you put Nature into a Museum, it suddenly becomes Art. Then if you build up a scenery like that one of the Natural History Museum in London, Magic start to spread around in the air. Such an incredible mix one can find in Kensington.

The building is a real ‘cathedral to Nature’, as conceived by Sir Richard Owen, British dreamer biologist and paleontologist who suggested to build up this museum after being appointed as supervisor of the British Museum’s natural history collection. When the architect in charge of the project – Francis Fowke – died, the unknown Alfred Waterhouse took control of the contruction site and set his creativity on fire realizing strange terracotta’s decoration. If you look at the walls (inside and outside) you can notice strange decorations inspired by nature, and if you follow the lines of the vegetation up on the column and arches, you will spot a monkey, a dodo, a goat, a fish, a dinosaur or other strange animals looking straight to you!

The result is astonishing: despite the official website defines it as “one of Britain’s most striking examples of Romanesque architecture”, actually we are inside a bizzarre architectural cocktail composed by 2/3 of Romanesque, 1/3 of Neo-Gothic and a sprinkling of Victorian style.

I really hope every kid in the world could spend at least a whole day over there!

Enjoy your visit as I did, bouncing from one Zone to the other one, trying to learn something here and there (of course, I don’t remember what and where!) about minerals, Norman Bates’ style animals (a little creepy for me), plants, Nature drawings and paintings, big (and small) mammals, underwater marine life, dinosaurs, birds, earthquake and what else? You even can see people at work in the labs, like in a post-modern Zoo where animals are replaced by Researchers. Last tip: don’t miss the tour of the Spirit Collection (fasting is suggested!).